Egypt Daily News – The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday rejected a request from Israel to cancel arrest warrants issued against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The court also declined a separate Israeli motion to suspend its broader investigation into alleged war crimes in the Palestinian territories.
The decision, published on the ICC’s official website, confirms that the arrest warrants will remain in effect while legal challenges regarding the court’s jurisdiction are still under review.
In November 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant, and senior Hamas commander Mohammed Deif, accusing them of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during the war in Gaza. The warrants came in the wake of the deadly conflict that erupted following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, a raid that resulted in significant casualties and triggered a sweeping Israeli military campaign in Gaza.
In February 2025, the court officially withdrew the warrant against Deif following credible reports of his death.
ICC Reaffirms Jurisdiction
Israel has consistently rejected the legitimacy of the ICC’s authority over its actions in Gaza, arguing that the court lacks jurisdiction and asserting that the military campaign was a legitimate act of self-defense against Hamas. It has also denied any wrongdoing or violations of international law.
Israel’s legal argument hinges in part on an April ruling by the ICC Appeals Chamber, which instructed the Pre-Trial Division to re-examine Israel’s objections to the court’s jurisdiction. Israeli officials have argued that this ruling invalidated the legal basis for the arrest warrants, a claim the court firmly rejected in its latest response.
“The judges found this interpretation to be incorrect,” the court said in its Wednesday statement, emphasizing that the legal proceedings related to Israel’s jurisdictional challenge are still ongoing and do not affect the validity of the existing warrants until a final decision is rendered.
No timeline has been provided for when the court will issue a definitive ruling on the jurisdictional matter.
U.S. Sanctions and Political Fallout
In a rare move that underscored the geopolitical sensitivity of the case, the United States in June imposed sanctions on four ICC judges in response to the court’s issuance of the arrest warrant for Netanyahu. Two of the sanctioned judges were part of the panel that rejected Israel’s request to suspend the proceedings.
The Biden administration had previously criticized the ICC’s actions, arguing that they could interfere with efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict diplomatically. However, the court has defended its independence and its mandate to hold all parties accountable for alleged international crimes.
What’s Next?
The ICC’s decision adds legal pressure on Israel’s leadership while raising the stakes in ongoing debates over accountability in the Gaza conflict. While Netanyahu and Gallant are unlikely to face arrest unless they travel to countries that are parties to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC the warrants place significant diplomatic constraints on their movements and further isolate them internationally.
The broader ICC investigation, which includes alleged crimes committed by both Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups, is expected to continue as the court navigates one of the most politically charged cases in its history.
For now, the legal battle over jurisdiction and the fate of the arrest warrants remains unresolved, but the ICC has made clear it will not pause its work amid mounting political pressure.
